(18 Sep 2026, 10:31 am)ALavery wrote From my understanding there’s a stop entering and leaving the park in the west but only one leaving at the east opposite the betty. Unless plans have changed since I last looked. Also am I correct in thinking that buses will have to traverse the whole of dalton park and then leave via the B1285 when they’re not going to be entering murton? Seems like it adds unnecessary time doesn’t it?

Yes, that is basically correct. Buses going west through the site will only have a stop at the west end. (Presumably 61 and 65 towards Murton will do that, rather than do a complete anticlockwise loop around Dalton Park - 61 is loopy enough as it is ...). At least the walk to/from Morrisons will be much the same distance as now, and for the outlet shops it's swings and roundabouts.

While the scheme has been presented as improving bus and sustainable transport, getting cars in and out faster is really the main thing that the scheme achieves, with widened roads. Hey ho, at least it should mean less traffic delay at busy times; but for all except 61/65, it does mean added running time putting additional pressure into the operating cycles.

All this stems from the way the site expanded considerably with the addition of what is now The Range and Morrison's. The original (current) road layout did seek to give buses/bus passengers decent access, with the U-turn at the east end meaning buses had a short route in and out while serving a stop that was well-located for the outlet shops. In the design, buses got "give way" priority over cars. However, this was let down by a rather skimped bus layby. With the expanded site and some extra bus services, at busy times the extra car traffic means a lot of congestion for both cars and buses.